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M.A. Baby Defends Kerala Left After Polls Rout
The Left government in Kerala performed very poorly in the Assembly election.
M.A. Baby, a senior Communist Party leader, said several outside forces made the election difficult.
He blamed financial pressure from the central government, unfavorable media coverage and false claims spread by opponents.
He also admitted that the party did not respond strongly enough to these messages.
Baby said the party must work harder against BJP and RSS communal influence in neighborhoods, temples and cultural spaces.
He defended a large Sabarimala-related gathering as a discussion about development and harmony, not a religious event.
He rejected allegations of corruption and a personality cult inside the party.
He said the party would review its mistakes at an extended state committee meeting in September.
Baby also defended the Private Universities Bill as a way to regulate new institutions and protect students.
CPM general secretary M.A. Baby blamed the LDF’s Kerala poll defeat on fiscal constraints, media coverage and opposition disinformation.
Baby said the party failed to sufficiently counter BJP-RSS communal messaging and false claims about a secret LDF-BJP pact.
He defended the Global Ayyappa Sangamam as a Sabarimala development discussion rather than a religious gathering.
Baby acknowledged rebel candidacies, organizational gaps and weak implementation of efforts to counter communal mobilization.
He justified Kerala’s Private Universities Bill as state oversight intended to keep higher education accessible.
- Who
- M.A. Baby, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), discussed the Left Democratic Front’s election performance and the party’s future.
- What
- Baby defended the former Kerala LDF government while acknowledging failures in campaigning, organization and countering BJP-RSS messaging.
- Where
- Kerala, India.
- When
- The discussion followed the 2025 Kerala Assembly polls; an extended state committee meeting is planned for September.
- Why
- The interview examined the LDF’s poor election result, the BJP’s growing influence and controversies over party policy and governance.
M.A. Baby and CPM Defense
Questions and Criticisms
Cause of the election defeat
M.A. Baby and CPM Defense
Baby attributed the result to Union government pressure, a corporate media blackout and disinformation by opposition and sectarian forces, while also acknowledging that the CPM did not counter these narratives effectively.
Questions and Criticisms
The interview’s questions focused on the LDF’s own failures, including weak campaigning, rebel candidates, alleged factionalism and its inability to retain long-held seats.
Religion and political strategy
M.A. Baby and CPM Defense
Baby said the Global Ayyappa Sangamam concerned Sabarimala development and represented communal harmony, and argued that genuine believers should be distinguished from communal forces.
Questions and Criticisms
The questioning suggested that hosting or defending the gathering could conflict with the CPM’s traditional rationalist politics and amount to electoral expediency.
Private universities
M.A. Baby and CPM Defense
Baby described the Private Universities Bill as alternative politics designed to maintain access, regulate fees and protect Kerala’s interests as foreign universities expand.
Questions and Criticisms
The bill was presented as a departure from the Left’s longstanding opposition to privatization, raising questions about whether the policy compromises its ideological position.
Key facts
- Election result
- The LDF recorded its worst Assembly polls performance in decades, according to the interview.
- BJP performance
- The BJP won three seats, finished second in six and received 11.42% of the vote, according to Baby.
- Planned review
- An extended Kerala state committee meeting in September is expected to finalize corrective measures.
- Ayyappa gathering
- Baby said the Global Ayyappa Sangamam was organized by the Travancore Devaswom Board to discuss Sabarimala development.
- Asha workers
- Baby said a 48-day strike by Asha workers ended after the state enhanced their honorarium.
- Private Universities Bill
- Baby said the 2025 bill would keep admissions and fee increases under government oversight.
- Communal mobilization
- Baby said the party had not adequately implemented directions to counter RSS-BJP activity through temple committees and other networks.
Quotes
B.R. Ambedkar
Indian jurist and political thinker cited by M.A. Baby in discussing the two-nation theory
“are in complete agreement... there are two nations in India”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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